I tried searching - but found nothing definitve.... My battery decided to commit hari-kari today and flung itself into the altenatory pully. Not sure yet if my battery hold down bolt came loose or stripped, but the result is the same. About an hour or so with baking soda & water cleaning off all the acid AND I need a new battery. So... what battery do you run and why? What should I look for? Seems the reviews for optima's say they aren't worth the $$$.
Looking for some opinions.

 

i run the battery that the guy i bought it from put in there, not sure what kind

but, i hear that the optima red top is very good

 

get the optima they are not cheap but a great battery. the red or yellow will do you and your truck just fine

 

Seems the more recent reviews for the Optima's is not so good. People who had the red tops a few years ago speak very highly of them, those who have purchased them more recently no so much... Is there any reason to not buy an "Everyready" brand from Wallyworld for $100? I don't have a huge stereo, I do have offroad lights and will be soon installing a winch. What should I be looking for in a battery, or does it matter?

 

I heard that also about the Red top, but I am not so sure if it effects all of them.

I am running a Yellow top though in my dual battery setup, and it has not given me any grief.

 

Corey - are you running the Yellow Top as your starting or auxillary battery? What do you think of its performance. I always think if I have to buy something new - its time to upgrade. I hate buyers remorse. I would eventually like to set up a dual battery setup.

 

I am running it as a stand alone emergency back up battery in the dual setup.
Nothing is hooked to it.

I know a lot hook up their extra stuff like lights, winches, stereo amps, but Painless Wiring, the make of the solenoid kit I have specifically says to not hook a thing to your aux. battery.

The aux. battery is in case I kill off my stock Panasonic battery if the fridge drains it.
If it does, I flip a switch in cab and start the rig off the always charged up Optima.

PS, the mod was done one year ago tomorrow.

 

I prefer Yellow Tops...as you can fully drain them and not kill them, recharge and you are good to go.

Any sealed battery is best IMO as then you don't have that annoying acid problem eating up your fenderwells.

 

Thanks for the replies - Corey - your setup is exactly what I was thinking about the other day - all I really want is my current single battery setup with a "whoops" reserve if needed. I will look at who has Yellow Tops locally. Do the Yellow tops have a better 'rep' than the current Red Tops?

 

I am not sure if they do or not, but the wise old wabbit brings up a good point.
The Yellow tops can be fully discharged and charged again.

Not so good for the Red tops to have that done to them.
That is why I got the Yellow top.
Got mine at Cartoys.

 

I have come to the realization that they are all garbage. Don't waist your hard earned money, unless you just have extra cash laying around. I have used them all and seen even the "best" ones fail prematurely. I now get the $59 brand name battery at Sam's (not the Sam's brand)...I have two of them and they have out lasted the more expensive ones I have owned...also if it goes bad and is out of warranty, I can still buy two for the price of one Optima. In theory the Optimas sound great, but many here have had problems with them.

The best battery I have ever owned was the Panasonic that came in my 4Runner. It lasted 6 years and was totally discharged three times. Even when it died, the car still started, but was just weak. I am embarrassed to say, I now have an AC Delco which my independent Toyota mechanic recommended. They had used a lot of them and had very good luck with them. It has lasted 3 years with no leakage or problems.

I used to buy Diehards that died hard in usually 1-2 years...the only reason I kept going back was I would get a new one prorated for a lower price. The guys at Sears even told me the diehards were not made to withstand the Texas heat. I had one Optima that lasted 2 years...it was a red top. At that point I said enough!

My Jeep now has the Sam's special, Exide I think it is that has lasted 4 years and has been run down several times as the Jeep is not driven that much in the winter. I have same battery in my '96 Altima. Still have the original in the Sequoia.

Some people hear swear by the walmart special, but $100 seems a bit high to me...

Keep in mind, I am in Texas and it does get hot down here....that may affect my battery life....

By the way, my sister-in-law is from Abottsford, BC!

Just my experiences....Good luck! I've never had one commit suicide before !

 

I've had good luck with the Black Panther (now Odyssey) AGM batteries. I got about 10 years use out of my first pair (dual battery setup) before I replaced them. The old batteries are still going strong hooked up to a small solar panel setup that powers a fan that I use to heat and cool my house:
http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTri...atteries.shtml

I originally ran one of the old original Optima Red Tops, it worked well in my 4Runner then later in my VW diesel but it finally dies after about 7 years use when it ran down a few times when my VW was down for transmission repairs. It would not hold enough of a charge to start the engine. I now have an Odyssey in the VW as well.

 

Thank you for the input- I will do some calling around tomorrow.

 

I've heard a lot of good things about Odyssey...Until you typed it, I couldn't remember the name.

 

Ive been running a red top for about 3 years now and it has worked just fine. I have drained it twice (my fault) and recharged it twice and it still works great. Maybe I just got a really good one because I've also heard bad things but have never had a problem myself.

 

I've run Interstate batteries for years with no problems. I've left my truck off with the 250W amp powering the stereo for over an hour. Left the lights on all day at work. The battery rescued me every time. Personally, I wouldn't spend $150 on an Optima unless I had a winch and enough lights to light a football field.

 

I agree with earlier comments about the differences between Red and Yellow Top Optimas. The Red Tops provide more CCA's, but don't tolerate going undercharged. I've had 2 simply die on me in the last 3 years. According to reports, the Yellow Tops give much better service if you don't absolutely need the maximum CCA capacity.

Another tip, if you're wanting to go high end ... The recently-introduced Sears Diehard Platinums are AGM's sourced from Hawker (builders of the Odyssey brand), so they're basically Odyssey clones at about 20% less price.

 

i personaly love the OPTIMA RED TOP, the big one tho.. there is two differnt sized red tops that i know of, i want to say that the one i just bought for the runner is rated at 950cca ..the small one about 750 i think. i have run them in all my trucks. actually a friend of mine still has the one that was in my 85 that is about 5 years old now.. it just wont die, its been through 2 rollovers (one that was real nasty), its been drained dead countless times, caught on fire (dont ask lol) and it still fires up his 4runner every mornin. BUT i have talked to and know people who say that they suck and are a waste of money. i know that my dad is a DIEHARD fan. he says that its all he has ever run in his cars and trucks. hes got one in his 66 bronco that is every bit of 8 years old.. i guess it comes down to if you like the sealed style or not.

 

YEP--i have the oddyssey PC 1700 and that thing is doing well--even with the doom lights left on over night.....Wanted the large battery so i wouldnt have to worry about the dual set-up.

Use it all the time to power headlights while we set up camp--run small inverters. Never gave me a problem in the 2 years of use (heavey) I have owened it.

I also second the Sears Platinum--checked them out and there numbers are the same as odyssey

 

Man, I hate it when I leave my doom lights on!